The transportation industry widely uses signaling lamps to provide pull-behind vehicles and other vehicle extensions with lamps for the purpose of signaling to other cars. Ordinarily, these lamps must perform the functions of a tail light, turn signal and stop light. The term signaling lamp is used herein to refer to lamps capable of performing any or all of these functions. State and federal laws typically require signaling lamps in an effort to ensure safe driving on roadways. These laws subject operators of trailers and other trucks to fines and penalties for either failing to employ the lamps, or using lamps that are broken. Dependability is therefore very desirable as a means for reducing liability as well as reducing maintenance costs. Another desirable benefit is increased serviceability when lamp components fail.
Currently, when a lamp component fails, the entire lamp must be replaced. This replacement is due in large part to the permanency of current lamp designs. For example, a typical lamp will have a lens that is permanently bonded to a backing during the manufacturing process. As a result, if the lens is damaged, the entire lamp must be replaced regardless of the condition of the backing or other parts. Generally, most lamps are sealed and must be thrown away. In rare cases, the light source itself may be replaced.
The modular design of the present invention allows the signaling lamp to be completely serviceable. The present invention uses a light source, a housing, outer lens, and a backing which are all individually replaceable. The housing is made up of a casing and a lens attached to the casing, such that the casing can be coupled to the backing by a removable sealing mechanism. If the lens of the housing cracks, any ordinary user can remove the sealing mechanism, replace only the housing, and replace the sealing mechanism with minimal effort. Specifically, the sealing mechanism can include a plurality of screws disposed around the perimeter of the lamp and a sealing gasket disposed between the housing and a lateral surface of the backing. The outer lens is a removable, replaceable lens. The lens is designed to distribute the light evenly. The outer lens is attached by snapping on, twisting, or by a plurality of screws. The outer lens may also be ultrasonically fused to the case.
Current LED lamp designs are also very difficult to connect to and disconnect from to the power source during servicing because of special wire adapters necessary to connect to the power source. To improve connectivity, the present invention provides a socket hole in the backing, a pigtail socket extending from the light source through the socket hole, a connector attached to the pigtail socket, and a socket hole sealing mechanism for stabilizing the pigtail socket and moisture protection that requires no special wire adapters to connect to the power source using existing factory equipment.
Several parameters affect the dependability of signaling lamps such as moisture resistance, vibration resistance, heat resistance, and current consumption. Moisture is a common problem with non-sealed signaling lamps because of the harsh environments that trucks and trailers often encounter. For example, when moisture penetrates the interior of the lamp, rust can corrupt contacts and wiring, and ultimately reduce the life of the lamp. The present invention addresses this problem by disposing a sealing gasket between the housing and lateral surface of the backing. Furthermore, the lamp can have an o-ring disposed between the housing and a longitudinal surface of the backing. The sealing gasket and the o-ring provide extremely high resistance to moisture, and increase the overall life of the lamp by serving as a moisture barrier along two surfaces. The socket hole sealing mechanism can also protect against rust while maintaining connectivity. Specifically, the socket hole sealing mechanism can include a socket hole gasket.
Vibration causes components to jar loose and significantly reduces the life of filament containing light sources. Vibration also causes parts to break under the strong and repetitive forces. Current lamp designs contribute to the effects of vibration by positioning the light source directly adjacent to external parts. Therefore, the slightest force felt by the lamp is transferred directly to the light source. The LED does not include a filament to vibrate, shake apart, or rupture. Therefore by nature of the construction of the LED. The present invention is vibration resistant with the use of LEDs.
Heat generated by the light source of current signaling lamps and outside environment often cause stress on surrounding components. The backing of the present invention includes an external heat sink for dispersing heat from within the signaling lamp while not interfering with dimensional considerations.
Previous lamp designs also result in high current draws, which reduce the amount of power available to the rest of the electrical systems as well as reduce the types of power sources that are compatible with the lamp. The light source of the present invention includes an LED array, an LED board containing the LED array, and a current draw circuit board connected to the LED board for reducing the current draw of the signaling lamp. This reduction allows the lamp to use the standard battery from the primary vehicle. The interior surface of the internal lens also has a plurality of convex nodes matching the pattern of the LED array such that light is more efficiently collected from the light source. The external lens effectively disperse and distribute the light from the interior lens. The external also includes a combination of faucets and ridges on its interior surface.